2 minute read
Kanosuke
The newly minted Kanosuke Distillery overlooks one of Japan’s largest and most beautiful beaches, a stretch of over 50km of sand dunes at Fukiagehama on the west coast of Kagoshima Prefecture. The region is blessed with an abundance of crystalclear groundwater, filtered and purified as it runs down the Shirasu Plateau. Although Kanosuke only came into being in 2017, its parent company Komasa Jyozo has been producing unique slowaged Shochu since 1883. Pioneers in barrel-aged Shochus, Komasa Jvozo’s ‘Mellowed Kozuru’ is celebrated in Japan for its smooth character. Despite the esteem for their Shochu within the country, the distillery was relatively unknown outside Japan, and so Kanosuke (named after its second-generation President) was born to craft a small range of premium Japanese Whisky and Gin.
The distillery features three pot-stills. Each of the three stills is individually configured with a different neck shape and lyne arm angle. By using different pot stills for redistillation and blending new make spirits from different stills, Kanosuke aims for rich flavors and aromas. The location—in the deep south of Japan and close to the sea—offers ideal conditions for maturation; mild in summer, but wild and windy at other times of the year, meaning the distillery air is often permeated with sea spray. These conditions contribute to a forward aging process which, combined with the depth of the new make, has critics agreeing that Kanosuke young releases taste far more mature than their age alone would suggest.
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Like many of Japan’s new generation artisan distilleries, Kanosuke edged into the market releasing some sensational ‘New Born’ bottlings as its stocks matured in cask. These spirits exhibit unusual depth of sweet flavour and smooth, tongue-coating texture alongside emerging house characteristics of citrus and spice. The use of ex-Bourbon and ex-Shochu oak presents a softly sweet personality in the whiskies despite their youth and abv (around 57%), also no doubt due to the experience of a parent company known to produce mellow spirits. The distillery has now released the first edition of its Single Malt.
Kanosuke
Single Malt 2021 First Edition
58% abv. Crafted using all three of the pot stills at the distillery, this is an unpeated malt distilled in 2017 and 2018. It has been aged in a combination of oak barrels, with re-charred Bourbon and ex-Shochu casks providing the key component. The First Edition was blended after at least three years of maturation and bottled at cask strength. Non-chill-filtered with no colouring added.
Through a no-compromise approach at every stage of production—in particular the depth of flavour taken from the three stills—the quality here is mind-boggling. There’s plenty of dried fruit and citrus notes on the nose, along with mouth-filling, woody spice and raisin butter on the palate. The finish has the bittersweet nature of chocolate-covered candied orange peel, lifted by soft sea breeze. Overall, the standout impression is a wonderful mellowness and length of flavour.
